CSRF Cookie vs Larvel Sanctum Token

What is CSRF Cookie and Laravel Sanctum?

June 27, 2024 • Code

The CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery) cookie and the token generated by Laravel Sanctum serve different security purposes in a web application:

  1. CSRF Cookie:
  2. Token Generated by Sanctum:

Key Differences:

  • Use Case
  • : CSRF cookies are used to secure web applications against CSRF attacks, ensuring that state-changing requests come from the site's own pages. Sanctum tokens are used to authenticate API requests, ensuring they come from authenticated users.
  • Mechanism
  • : CSRF protection involves matching a token sent with requests against a token stored in a cookie. Sanctum tokens are used in the 
  • Authorization
  •  header to authenticate API requests.
  • Scope
  • : CSRF cookies are a general web security measure applicable to any form submission or state-changing request. Sanctum tokens are specific to API authentication in Laravel applications.

In summary, the CSRF cookie is a security measure against CSRF attacks, while Sanctum tokens are used for authenticating users making API requests. Both are important but serve different purposes in the security and functionality of web applications.

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